Overview
Laura is a shareholder in the firm's Grand Rapids office and has an extensive bankruptcy law practice. Laura serves as a Chapter 7 (liquidation) trustee and as a Chapter 12 (farm and family fishermen) trustee for the Western District of Michigan, and she has served as a Chapter 11 Examiner. Read more about Laura's work as a trustee here.
Because bankruptcy affects all industries, Laura helps her individual and business clients navigate the bankruptcy system in numerous ways:
- Represents secured and unsecured creditors in Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 bankruptcy cases in various matters, including filing motions for relief from the automatic stay and motions to allow administrative claims, objecting to reorganization plans, preparing proofs of claims, and prosecuting nondischargeability actions.
- Represents buyers wishing to purchase assets from bankruptcy estates.
- Defends individual and business clients against preference demands and lawsuits.
- Advises businesses and municipalities about how to protect their interests when a customer, supplier, or taxpayer files bankruptcy.
- Helps families (and their lawyers) understand the interplay between bankruptcy and divorce law.
- Represents other Chapter 7 trustees in all matters related to estate administration.
With her breadth of knowledge and experience, Laura can handle any matter related to bankruptcy, collections, or commercial transactions.
Honors & Recognitions
Thomas M. Cooley Alumni Association Distinguished Student Award
Pace National Environmental Law Moot Court Competition, National Quarter-Finalist
State Bar of Michigan 1L Oral Advocacy Competition - First Place
Michigan Super Lawyers "Rising Star," 2012-2015
Affiliations
Memberships & Affiliations
Legal Affiliations:
- Grand Rapids Bar Association
- Federal Bar Association Bankruptcy Section (Western District of Michigan), Steering Committee Member
Industry & Professional Associations:
- National Association of Bankruptcy Trustees
- Grand Rapids Young Professionals
- Inforum
- American Bankruptcy Institute
Community Involvement:
- Grand Rapids Symphony Chorus, Board of Directors 2011-2012
Experience
Representative Matters
- Served on legal team for major secured creditor in the Chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Family Christian Stores, LLC.
- Represented bankruptcy trustee in corporate Chapter 7 case and filed more than 40 avoidance lawsuits against preference recipients, resulting in the recovery of more than $500,000 for the bankruptcy estate.
- Represented creditor against trustee's demand for more than $170,000 in alleged preference payments and negotiated favorable settlement for client.
- Represented auto lender in obtaining a nondischargeability judgment based on debtor’s fraudulent conduct.
- Defended national telecommunications company against claims for violating the automatic stay and discharge injunction.
Communications
Recent Blog Posts
Michigan Bankruptcy Blog
Michigan Election Law Blog
- Supreme Court Offers Additional Guidance on Sign Restrictions
- Can We Ban That Sign?
- Michigan House Bill to Require Training for All Election Challengers
- Township Clerk Arraigned After Ballot Mishap
- Bill Passes Michigan Senate, Allowing Qualifying Cities and Townships to Process Absentee Ballots Prior to Election Day
- Judge Feeney to Appear on Ballot as Incumbent, with Separate Listing
- Election Guidelines for Public Bodies in Compliance with MCFA
- Primary Election Day 2020: Your Guide to Navigating Masks, Selfies, and Other Election Day Rules
- Campaigning during COVID-19: Rules for Absentee Ballots
Publications
- Federal Court Temporarily Bans State From Enforcing New Election Law That "Gags" Local Governments and Schools, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, February 5, 2016
- New Law Silences Local Governments During 60 Days Before Elections, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, January 8, 2016
- Too Small to Notice: Are Tiny Houses Subject to Municipal Zoning Ordinances in Michigan?, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, August 7, 2015
- Solar Energy: A “Hot” Topic at the Local Level, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, March 30, 2015
- Is Your Real Property Tax Too High? Now is the Time to Consider a Protest or Appeal, Foster Swift Finance, Real Estate and Bankruptcy News, March 6, 2015
- Standing to Sue: When May a Property Owner Bring Suit to Restrain Zoning Violations?, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, February 27, 2015
News & Events
Speaking Engagements
- WEBINAR | Millage Proposals and Campaign Finance Issues, March 29, 2016
- Recent Decisions Impacting Bankruptcy Practice in the Western District of Michigan, Federal Bar Association, August 1, 2015
- What Every Treasurer Should Know About Bankruptcy, Livingston County Treasurers' Association, June 9, 2015
- Nuts and Bolts of Bankruptcy Practice, Federal Bar Association, April 30, 2015
- WEBINAR | The Borrower in Bankruptcy: Top 10 Mistakes Banks & Lenders Make in Consumer Bankruptcy Cases, Foster Swift, April 28, 2015
- What Every Treasurer Should Know About Bankruptcy, Bay County Treasurers' Association, April 21, 2015
News
- 21 Foster Swift Attorneys named to 2015 Michigan Super Lawyers and Michigan Rising Stars, September 8, 2015
- Upcoming Webinar: What Every Municipal Treasurer Should Know About Bankruptcy, Foster Swift Municipal Law News, June 30, 2015
- Foster Swift Elects Laura Genovich and Liza Moore shareholders, January 19, 2015
- 2014 Michigan Super Lawyers and Michigan Rising Stars, September 5, 2014
- Genovich named Chairperson of the FBA Bankruptcy Section Steering Committee (Western District), August 11, 2014
- Thirty-one Foster Swift Attorneys included in Super Lawyers for 2013, September 6, 2013
- Laura J. (Garlinghouse) Genovich appointed as Chapter 12 Trustee, October 8, 2012
Media
Practice Areas
Education
Thomas M. Cooley Law School, J.D., 2008, summa cum laude
Ohio University, B.S., 2005, summa cum laude, Communications
Bar and Court Admissions
Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan
U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals